Method and apparatus for stacking and packing wrapped electric lamps



E. MILLS ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STACKING AND PACKING WRAPPED ELECTRIC LAMPS April 11, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 11, 1964 INVENTORS. JOHN 5 M/LLS &

Aprll 11, 1967 MILLS ET AL 3,313,394

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STACKING AND v PACKING WRAPPED ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed March 11, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2.

INVENTORJ. JOHN E. MILLS & EDWHED J'. 6572.

United States Patent O 3,313,394 METHQD AND ATPPARATUS FOR STACKING AND PACKENG WRAPPED ELECTRIC LAMPS John E. Mills, Orange, and Edward J. Getz, Irvington,

N.J., assignors to Westinghouse Electric Corporation,

Pittsburgh, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Fiied Mar. 11, 1%4, Ser. No. 350,993 4 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) The present invention relates to the method and apparatus for stacking and packing wrapped electric lamps which eliminates variations in material tolerance and rigidness, surface friction and quantity of wrapped lamps handled at each operation, thereby assuring compactness and orientation of the wrapped electric lamps when packed for shipment.

Apparatus of this general nature is known in the art wherein two aligned endless conveyors are employed with an inverter disposed at the contiguous ends thereof for the purpose of inverting a selected number of electric lamps in their Wrappers. Such apparatus, however, has proven to be unsatisfactory for several reasons. Due to the long pontinuous line of the wrapped lamps being fed by the conveyors to and from the inverting apparatus it has proven impossible to consistently select with any degree of accuracy the precisely desired number of Wrapped lamps to be inverted. All too frequently adjacent wrappers are compressed together crushing them and hence making it exceedingly difiicult to separate their abutting ends prior to inverting a group of a desired number of wrapped lamps. Also, the over-all length of a group of wrapped lamps caused a variation of as much as one and one-half inches between the line of end-separation and the ends of the inverter resulting in wrapper distortion and in many instances damage or destruction of a lamp.

It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for accurately controlling the preselected number of wrapped lamps that pass ahead of the inverter to thereby definitely fix the line of separation so that the inverter selects and inverts a group of a definite number of wrapped lamps with out ensuing damage to the lamp or wrapper distortion.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an inverter having a surface permitting the passage of a definite preselected number of wrapped lamps therethrough without distortion of their wrappers to thus fix their line of separation and which inverter is provided with a cut-01f plate operable to preselect a succeeding group of a definite number of wrapped lamps and invert them prior to their passing beyond the inverter.

The foregoing objects of the present invention, together with other objects which will become obvious to those skilled in the art from the following description, are achieved by providing the stacking and packing machine with a reciprocating cut-off plate to select a group of a definite number of wrapped lamps on a conveyor. In addition the machine has an inverter operable after the cutoff plate has selected one group to invert selected succeeding groups of wrapped lamps of the same number prior to such previous groups as selected by the cut-off plate being stacked in a column of three and packed in a shipping container. Moreover, it is preferable that the in-feed conveyor belt be offset with the inverter unit disposed at the discharge end of one section and operable to transfer each group after successive inverting thereof to the adjacent intake end of the other section of the in-feed conveyor.

The present invention can be readily understood by reference to the following detailed description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the stacking and pack ice schematic illustration of the electrical and pneumatic controls therefor,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 11-11 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IlI-lII of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a view identical to FIG. 3 but showing the inverter at commencement of its rotation and partial movement of the cut-off plate,

FIG. 5 is also a view identical to FIG. 3 but showing completion of movement of the cut-off plate with the inverter approaching completion of its rotation,

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing completion of rotation of the inverter and with the group of lamps in their wrappers completely reversed from their original position as shown in FIG. 3 together with the cutoff plate approaching its original position of rest after having deposited the group of wrappers,

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the springpressed pressure plate seen in the several figures, and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of wrapped lamps with the center group alternated with respect to the top and bottom groups and as stacked by the machine of the present invention prior to insertion thereof in the packing container preparatory to warehousing or shipping.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the machine as shown in 'FIG. 1 comprises as in-feed conveyor of two sections in the form of endless belts 5 and 6 driven by suitable power (not shown) and with the discharge end of the conveyor section 5 being adjacent but laterally offset relative to the intake or feed end of the conveyor section 6. Lamp wrappers 7 each containing two oppositely positioned incandescent lamps are presented by the conveyor section 5 in a continuous line to an inverter 8 and pass therethrough due to the pushing force exerted by the next succeeding wrapper as it comes off such conveyor section 5. As seen more particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2 the inverter 8 comprises a pair of circular end plates or flanges each supported for rotation by a plural ity of rollers 10 carried by a substantially C-shaped supporting bracket 12. Such flanges 9 are interconnected by a hollow member 13 which preferably is provided with a rectangular opening 14 having sufiicient cross-sectional area as to allow the free passage of the wrapped lamps 7 therethrough, without turning or any material deviation thereof from their straight line passage, as presented from between the guide-rails 15 on the conveyor section 5.

A ring gear 16 is carried by the flange 9 adjacent the in-feed end of conveyor section 5 which meshes with a rack-bar l7 riding on a guide roller 18. Such rack-bar forms the outer end of a piston protruding from a cylinder 19 so that upon admission of fluid pressure from conduit 20 to one end of this cylinder 19 by opening of a valve 22, the rack-bar is moved outwardly to cause counter-clockwise rotation of the inverter 8, as viewed from FIG. 2, and when valve 22 is operated to admit fluid pressure to the opposite end of the cylinder 19 through a conduit 23, the rack-bar 17 is moved inwardly thereby causing clockwise rotation of the inverter 8. The length of such rack-bar 17 and the teeth on the ring-gear 16 is such that rotation of the inverter 8 in either direction is restricted to not more than On the side of the inverter 8 opposite to the in-feed conveyor section 5, the apparatus is provided with a stripper plate 24 having its flat surface aligned with both the surface of the conveyor section 5 and the smooth-surfaced bottom of the rectangular opening 14- in the inverter 8 so that the continuous line of lamp wrappers 7 moved on to this stripper plate 24 as they emerge from the inverter opening 14. A selector means comprising a cutolf plate 25 having a stop finger 26 extending normal to one end and an oppositely extending up-standing side 27 is moveable laterally across the surface of the stripper plate 24 by being connected to the outer end of a transfer means in the form of a piston 28 extending from a cylinder 29. Accordingly, as a preselected number of wrapped lamps 7, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to be four, emerge from the rectangular openng 14 of the in veter 8 they are pushed against the stop finger 25 and hence come to rest on the stripper plate 24. Thereupon a switch 38 carried by the stop finger 26 is closed to energize the winding of a solenoid 32, as hereinafter described more in detail, which operates a valve 33 to admit fluid pressure through a conduit 34 into one end of the cylinder 29.

The piston 28 is then moved outwardly pushing the selector cut-off plate 25 laterally across the top of the stripper plate 24 carrying a group of four wrapped lamps 7 therewith. Due to the precise longitudinal distance between the stop finger 26 and the lateral path of movement of the up-standing side 27 of the cut-off late 24, such side 27 is very accurate in its movement in passing across the parting line between adjacent wrapped lamps 7 and accordingly precisely selects the group of four wrapped lamps 7 without distortion or crumpling of t e wrappers or damage to the lamps therein, since pressure on the single group from succeeding wrapped lamps is a minimum. it will also be noted particularly from FIGS. 3 to 6 that the outer longitudinal edge of the stripper plate 24 curves slightly upward and that the cutoff plate 25 is provided with a spring-pressed pressure plate 35 (FIG. 7) extending parallel to the upwardly curved end of such stripper plate to assure the simultaneous depositing of the entire group of wrapped lamps 7 on to the adjacent in-feed conveyor section 6 from the stripper plate 24 by movement of the cut-otf plate 25. Thereafter the groups of wrapped lamps 7 deposited on the conveyor section 6 are moved along to an elevator where they are stacked in layers of three, as shown in FIG. 8, and inserted into a shipping carton in the customary manner.

When the cut-oil plate 25 reaches the outer extremity of its travel a switch 36 on the stripper plate 24 is closed by contact of a bracket or the like 37 carried by the side 27 to thus cause energization of another solenoid winding 38 to operate valve 33 and cause fiuid pressure to enter the opposite end of the cylinder 29 through a conduit 39 thereby returning cut-oft plate 25 to its original position. Also, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, intermittently, during the reciprocatory movement of the cut-off plate 25 under the action of the piston 28, selected succeeding groups of wrapped lamps 7 are rotated 180 by the action of the inverter 8 before they arrive on the stripper plate 24 and against the stop pin 26. Accordingly, in order to assure these various operations in the proper timed sequence a control circuit is provided which comprises a suitable voltage supply, as shown by the legend in FIG. 1, one conductor L1 of which is connected to one side of the previously mentioned switches 30 and 36. The other line conductor L2 is connected to one end of each of the solenoid windings 32 and 33 and since the other side of each switch 30 and 36 is connected to its respective solenoid winding upon closure of each switch its associated winding becomes energized to operate valve 33 in the manner above described with the stated ensuing results.

For the purpose of coordinating selected rotation of the inverter 8 relative to the reciprocatory movement of the cut-oil plate 25, a spring-biased switch 40 carried by the stripper plate 24 is closed each time the cut-off plate 25 moves into its outward extended position to deposit a group of wrapped lamps on the in-feed conveyor section 6 with such switch 40 opening upon return of the cut-off plate 25 to its normal at rest position. When closed the switch 40 completes a circuit from supply conductor L1 through such switch to the winding of a solenoid 42 and thence back to supply conductor L2. Solenoid 42 is accordingly energized and since its armature is opera tively connected to a pawl and ratchet arrangement 43 such ratchet is rotated, in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 1, each time the solenoid is energized by outward movement of the cut-off plate 25.

It will also be noted that the up-standing side 27 of the cut-off plate passes across the exit end of the rectangular opening 14 in the inverter 8 to block it prior to closure of switch 40 with attendant operation of the inverter 8. In such blocking position the side 27 forms a stop for the further advancement of wrapped lamps and against which surface the next succeeding wrapper pivotally bears as it is rotated along with the entire group then housed within the inverter 8. The up-standing side 27 continues to block the exit even though in reciprocatory motion, as can be seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, during rotation of the inverter 8 and until reversal of the group of wrapped lamps is completed. However, the cut-off plate 25 will have completed its outward movement with opening of switch 40 and closure of switch 36 and hence will be moving toward its rest position even though the tip-standing side 27 is still blocking the exit end of the opening 14 at the moment reversal of the wrapped lamps is completed, as seen in FIG. 6.

By reference again particularly to FIG. 1 it will be noted that the pawl and ratchet arrangement 43 is coupled by a shaft 44 to a six point rotary switch or the like 45,

four of which contacts are blanks and only two of which are closed by rotation of such switch 45. When contact 1 is closed a circuit is completed from supply conductor L1 to the switch 45 and thence to a solenoid winding 46 and back to supply conductor L2. Similarly, when contact 4 of the switch 45 is closed, an identical circuit is completed to a solenoid winding 47, so that upon energization of either solenoid winding 46 or 47, the valve 22 is opened to cause the piston 19 to move and rotate the inverter 8 in one direction or the other Such energization of either the solenoid winding 46 or 47 and rotation of the inverter 8 occurs on every third successive reciprocation of cut-01f plate 25 so that two groups of wrapped lamps 7, such as those indicated as N in FIGS. 1 and 8, pass directly through the inverter 8 while the third successive group shown as A in such figures, is rotated 180 by the inverter 8 and hence becomes the middle oppositely orientated group of lamps in the stack of FIG. 8 when inserted into the shipping container.

It should thus become clear to those skilled in the art from the foregoing that an apparatus for the stacking and packing of wrapped articles such as incandescent electric lamps has been herein shown and described wherein the precise selection of a desired number of wrapped incandescent electric lamps is consistently made from a continuous delivery line. Moreover, such desired number of wrapped lamps continuously fed by the conveyor are selected without any ensuing wrapper distortion or damage to the product therein. In addition a preselected number of wrapped lamps are intermittently rotated 180 by an inverter so that in the subsequent stacking of several groups of such preselected number of wrapped lamps for packing in a shipping container, the center group is alternated with respect to the upper and lower groups to minimize damage to the incandescent lamps in transit.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been herein shown and described it is to be understood that still further modifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

We claim as our invention:

1. The method of stacking and packing wrapped articles such as electric incandescent lamps, which method comprises:

(a) continuously feeding such wrapped lamps in a straight line against a stop at the end of such line,

(b) preselecting a precisely numbered group of such wrapped lamps from the end of the feed-line against the stop by removal thereof with a sharp cut-off from the next succeeding wrapped lamps in the feedline to avoid distortion of the wrappers and damage to such lamps,

(c) transferring the preselected precise group of lamps from the end of the feed-line and depositing such group at the beginning of a laterally spaced adjacent end of a second feed-line,

(d) and inverting every third group of the same precisely numbered wrapped lamps prior to their removal from the continuous feed-line for stacking and packing.

2. In an apparatus for stacking and packing wrapped articles such as electric incandescent lamps, the combination of:

(a) means operable to deliver a continuous line of wrapped lamps and provided with a stop at the end thereof to arrest movement of such wrapped lamps,

(b) selector means operable to preselect a precisely numbered group of wrapped lamps from the stop end of the continuous line and to remove said group with a sharp cut-ofi from the next succeeding wrapped lamps to avoid distortion of the wrappers and damage to such lamps,

(c) transfer means connected to said selector means and operable to cause the latter to transfer the preselected precise group of Wrapped lamps from the stop end of the continuous line laterally to a spaced adjacent end of a second continuous line delivery means from which such groups are stacked and packed for shipment,

(d) and inverter means disposed in the continuous delivery line of said wrapped lamps and operable to invert every third group of the same preselected precise number thereof prior to their removal from the continuous delivery line for stacking and packing.

3. In an apparatus for stacking and packing wrapped articles such as electric incandescent lamps, the combination of:

(a) means operable to deliver a continuous line of wrapped lamps and provided with a stop at the end thereof to arrest movement of such wrapped lamps,

(b) a cut-off plate operable to preselect a precisely numbered group of wrapped lamps from the stop end of the continuous line and to remove said group with a sharp cut-oh from the next succeeding wrapped lamps to avoid distortion of the wrappers and damage to such lamps,

(c) biased means carried by such cut-off plate adjacent the forward edge thereof and cooperating with a stripper plate for accurately holding said group of wrapped lamps until they are in a position immediately above the spaced adjacent end of a second continuous-line delivery means Where they are freely dropped thereon,

(d) transfer means connected to said cut-off plate and operable to cause reciprocatory movement of the latter to transfer the preselected precise group of Wrapped lamps from the stop end of the continuous line laterally to the spaced adjacent end of said second continuous-line delivery means from which such groups are stacked and packed,

(e) and inverter means disposed in the continuous delivery line of said wrapped lamps and operable to invert every third group of the same preselected precise number thereof prior to their removal from the continuous line for stacking and packing.

4. In an apparatus for stacking and packing wrapped articles such as electric incandescent lamps, the combination of:

(a) an endless conveyor operable to deliver a continuous line of wrapped lamps and provided with a stop at the end thereof to arrest movement of such wrapped lamps,

(b) a cut-off plate operable to preselect a precisely numbered group of wrapped lamps from the stop end of the continuous line on said conveyor and to remove said group with a sharp cut-off from the next succeeding wrapped lamps to avoid distortion of the wrappers and damage to such lamps,

(c) a reciprocating piston connected to said cut-01f plate and operable to cause the latter to transfer the preselected precise group of wrapped lamps from the stop end of the continuous line laterally to a spaced adjacent end of a second endless conveyor from which such groups are stacked and packed for shipment,

(d) and inverter means disposed in the continuous delivery line of said wrapped lamps and operable to invert every third group of the same preselected precise number thereof prior to their removal from the endless conveyor for stacking and packing.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,912,696 6/1933 Ferguson 53392 X 2,007,788 7/1935 Anderson 53392 X 2,687,797 8/1954 Hirsch et al 198-32 2,848,855 8/1958 Ervine et al 53l43 2,869,297 1/1959 Neer 53--26 2,956,381 10/1960 Chauvin et al 53l43 X 3,244,267 4/1966 Berta 19832 3,255,566 6/1966 De Shazor 53138 X FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

LIONEL S. BOUCHARD, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE METHOD OF STACKING AND PACKING WRAPPED ARTICLES SUCH AS ELECTRIC INCANDESCENT LAMPS, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: (A) CONTINUOUSLY FEEDING SUCH WRAPPED LAMPS IN A STRAIGHT LINE AGAINST A STOP AT THE END OF SUCH LINE, (B) PRESELECTING A PRECISELY NUMBERED GROUP OF SUCH WRAPPED LAMPS FROM THE END OF THE FEED-LINE AGAINST THE STOP BY REMOVAL THEREOF WITH A SHARP CUT-OFF FROM THE NEXT SUCCEEDING WRAPPED LAMPS IN THE FEEDLINE TO AVOID DISTORTION OF THE WRAPPERS AND DAMAGE TO SUCH LAMPS, (C) TRANSFERRING THE PRESELECTED PRECISE GROUP OF LAMPS FROM THE END OF THE FEED-LINE AND DEPOSITING SUCH GROUP AT THE BEGINNING OF A LATERALLY SPACED ADJACENT END OF A SECOND FEED-LINE, (D) AND INVERTING EVERY THIRD GROUP OF THE SAME PRECISELY NUMBERED WRAPPED LAMPS PRIOR TO THEIR REMOVAL FROM THE CONTINUOUS FEED-LINE FOR STACKING AND PACKING. 